Random Community Sample Research Articles

Understanding COVID-19 infection among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities using machine learning

BackgroundPeople with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Predicting COVID-19 infection has been difficult. ObjectiveWe sought to address two research questions in this study: 1) to assess the overall utility of a machine learning model to predict COVID-19 diagnosis for people with IDD, and 2) to determine the primary predictors of COVID-19 diagnosis in a random sample of Home and Community Based Services users in one state. MethodsWe merged three major IDD-specific datasets (National Core Indicators, Supports Intensity Scale, Medicaid HCBS expenditures) from one state to create one combined dataset for analyses that included more than 700 variables. We then built a random forest machine learning algorithm to predict COVID-19 diagnosis and to explore the top predictors of such a diagnosis, when present. ResultsOur algorithm predicted COVID-19 diagnosis in a random sample of HCBS users with IDD with 62.5% accuracy. The top predictors of having a documented case of COVID-19 among our sample were higher age, having high overall, medical, or behavioral support needs, living in a lower-income neighborhood, total Medicaid expenditure, and higher body mass index. ConclusionsResults largely followed trends in the general population, and were largely suggestive that increased contact with other people may have exposed a person with IDD to greater COVID-19 risk.

The use of representative community samples to assess SARS-CoV-2 lineage competition: Alpha outcompetes Beta and wild-type in England from January to March 2021.

Genomic surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 lineages informs our understanding of possible future changes in transmissibility and vaccine efficacy and will be a high priority for public health for the foreseeable future. However, small changes in the frequency of one lineage over another are often difficult to interpret because surveillance samples are obtained using a variety of methods all of which are known to contain biases. As a case study, using an approach which is largely free of biases, we here describe lineage dynamics and phylogenetic relationships of the Alpha and Beta variant in England during the first 3 months of 2021 using sequences obtained from a random community sample who provided a throat and nose swab for rt-PCR as part of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study. Overall, diversity decreased during the first quarter of 2021, with the Alpha variant (first identified in Kent) becoming predominant, driven by a reproduction number 0.3 higher than for the prior wild-type. During January, positive samples were more likely to be Alpha in those aged 18 to 54 years old. Although individuals infected with the Alpha variant were no more likely to report one or more classic COVID-19 symptoms compared to those infected with wild-type, they were more likely to be antibody-positive 6 weeks after infection. Further, viral load was higher in those infected with the Alpha variant as measured by cycle threshold (Ct) values. The presence of infections with non-imported Beta variant (first identified in South Africa) during January, but not during February or March, suggests initial establishment in the community followed by fade-out. However, this occurred during a period of stringent social distancing. These results highlight how sequence data from representative community surveys such as REACT-1 can augment routine genomic surveillance during periods of lineage diversity.

ODP029 Associations between Objective and Subjective Indicators of Stress and Sleep Disturbance in Adolescents and Young Adults from the General Population

Abstract Background Sleep is a complex and dynamic vital state, occupying one third of human's lifetime. Disturbed sleep can be a symptom of and a risk factor for a wide range of mental disorders and somatic diseases. One pathway through which sleep problems may lead to health problems is by dysregulation of the body's physiological stress response system as indicated by aberrant cortisol. Previous findings showed that poor sleep quality and sleep disruption were associated with elevated cortisol levels in adults. Regarding adolescents, there is evidence that sleep problems are linked to hyper-reactivity to stress with effects being stronger in girls than boys. In addition, adolescence itself was associated with decreased sleep quality and an increase in perceived stress dependent on age. However, little evidence is available for the association between objective and subjective stress markers and sleep in the daily life of adolescents from the general population. The aim of this study was to examine the association between 1) cortisol and 2) subjective stress with sleep in adolescents and young adults. Methods We used baseline data (11/2015–12/2016) of the Behavior and Mind Health(BeMIND) study, an epidemiological study based on a random community sample of individuals aged 14 to 21 years (Dresden, Germany, N = 1,180). We assessed sleep disturbance with the short form of the PROMIS Sleep-Disturbance questionnaire (8 items) via Ecological Momentary Assessment, conducted on four days directly after awakening, calculated mean. Cortisol was measured in hair (pg/mg) and saliva (nmol/l). Cortisol awakening response and total cortisol were calculated. Subjective stress was assessed via 1) the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), 2) the Trier Inventory of the Assessment of Chronic Stress-Screening (TICS), and 3) two items for time urgency (subjective stress in school/at work/university and leisure, self-developed). Weighted linear regressions with robust standard errors were performed after exclusions (n = 1132, 48.4% female). Models were adjusted for sex, age, pubertal development and rerun in sex-specific analyses. Results Mean age was 17.83 (SD 0. 07). Neither hair, nor saliva cortisol was associated with PROMIS Sleep (hair cortisol: unstandardized β-coefficient: -0. 002, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0. 012; 0. 007). All analyzed subjective stress variables were associated with PROMIS Sleep. We found positive associations between PSS (β-coefficient: 0.151, 95% CI: 0.117; 0.183), TICS (β-coefficient: 0. 056, 95% CI: 0. 045; 0. 066), and time urgency (β-coefficient: 0.114, 95% CI: 0. 061; 0.166) with sleep. There was no evidence for sex-specific effects. Conclusion Results confirmed the association between perceived stress and sleep in a population-based study with adolescents and young adults, that was previously shown mainly in adults. No evidence for a link between cortisol and sleep was found. Further analyses would benefit from a longitudinal perspective and consideration of mediating/moderation variables to elucidate the complex interplay between stress and sleep. Presentation: No date and time listed

The relationship between executive functioning and addictive behavior: new insights from a longitudinal community study

RationaleAlthough there is evidence that impaired executive functioning plays a role in addictive behavior, the longitudinal relationship between the two remains relatively unknown.ObjectivesIn a prospective-longitudinal community study, we tested the hypothesis that lower executive functioning is associated with more addictive behavior at one point in time and over time.MethodsThree hundred and thirty-eight individuals (19–27 years, 59% female) from a random community sample were recruited into three groups: addictive disorders related to substances (n = 100) or to behaviors (n = 118), or healthy controls (n = 120). At baseline, participants completed nine executive function tasks from which a latent variable of general executive functioning (GEF) was derived. Addictive behavior (i.e., quantity and frequency of use, and number of DSM-5 criteria met) were assessed using standardized clinical interviews at baseline and three annual follow-ups. The trajectories of addictive behaviors were examined using latent growth curve modeling.ResultsAt baseline, we found weak to no evidence of an associations between GEF and addictive behavior. We found evidence for an association between a lower GEF at baseline and a higher increase in the quantity of use and a smaller decrease in frequency of use over time, but no evidence for an association with an increase in the number of DSM-5 criteria met.ConclusionsLower EFs appear to lead to a continuing loss of control over use, whereas addictive disorders may develop secondarily after a long period of risky use. Previous etiological models assuming lower EF as a direct vulnerability factor for addictive disorders need to be refined.

Personality Traits Predict Non-Substance Related and Substance Related Addictive Behaviours

Abstract: Aims: To examine whether personality traits predict the course of addictive behaviours in general and whether predictive associations differ between non-substance related (NR) and substance related (SR) addictive behaviours. Methodology: We recruited 338 individuals (19–27 y, 59 % female) from a random community sample with NR, SR, or no DSM-5 addictive disorder. Predictors were the Big Five personality traits (NEO-FFI) and reward and punishment sensitivity (BIS/BAS questionnaire). Outcomes were the slopes of addictive behaviours (i. e., quantity, frequency, and number of DSM-5 criteria) over three years. Bayesian multiple regressions were used to analyse the probabilities for each hypothesis. Results: The evidence that higher neuroticism, lower conscientiousness, lower agreeableness, higher extraversion, lower openness, higher reward sensitivity, and lower punishment sensitivity predict increased addictive behaviours over time was, overall, moderate to high (69 % to 99 %) and varied by trait and outcome. Predictive associations were mostly higher for NR compared with SR addictive behaviours. Conclusions: Personality traits predict the course of addictive behaviours, but associations were only about half as large as expected. While some personality traits, such as lower conscientiousness, predict increases in both NR and SR addictive behaviours over time, others, such as lower punishment sensitivity, seem to specifically predict increases in NR addictive behaviours.

SARS-CoV-2 lineage dynamics in England from September to November 2021: high diversity of Delta sub-lineages and increased transmissibility of AY.4.2

BackgroundSince the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, evolutionary pressure has driven large increases in the transmissibility of the virus. However, with increasing levels of immunity through vaccination and natural infection the evolutionary pressure will switch towards immune escape. Genomic surveillance in regions of high immunity is crucial in detecting emerging variants that can more successfully navigate the immune landscape.MethodsWe present phylogenetic relationships and lineage dynamics within England (a country with high levels of immunity), as inferred from a random community sample of individuals who provided a self-administered throat and nose swab for rt-PCR testing as part of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study. During round 14 (9 September–27 September 2021) and 15 (19 October–5 November 2021) lineages were determined for 1322 positive individuals, with 27.1% of those which reported their symptom status reporting no symptoms in the previous month.ResultsWe identified 44 unique lineages, all of which were Delta or Delta sub-lineages, and found a reduction in their mutation rate over the study period. The proportion of the Delta sub-lineage AY.4.2 was increasing, with a reproduction number 15% (95% CI 8–23%) greater than the most prevalent lineage, AY.4. Further, AY.4.2 was less associated with the most predictive COVID-19 symptoms (p = 0.029) and had a reduced mutation rate (p = 0.050). Both AY.4.2 and AY.4 were found to be geographically clustered in September but this was no longer the case by late October/early November, with only the lineage AY.6 exhibiting clustering towards the South of England.ConclusionsAs SARS-CoV-2 moves towards endemicity and new variants emerge, genomic data obtained from random community samples can augment routine surveillance data without the potential biases introduced due to higher sampling rates of symptomatic individuals.

LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE (LMX) AND ITS IMPACT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE OPINIONS OF A SAMPLE OF DEPARTMENT MANAGERS AND PEOPLES’ OFFICIALS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

The current research aims to verify the effect of (leader-member exchange) as an independent variable in psychological capital as a responding variable, in the departments of the Ministry of Education headquarters, and to try to come up with a set of recommendations that contribute to enhancing the practice and adoption of variables in the organizations under study. Based on the importance of the subject of the research to the community, and to the researched organizations and their individuals, the researcher adopted the descriptive analytical approach in completing this research, with choosing the headquarters of the Ministry of Education as a place of application, while the research sample was represented (and heads of departments and officials of the people at the level of the ministry and its departments) as a random stratified sample of the research community. In the general directorates at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education, as the researcher distributed (169) questionnaires of the research sample, then collected data from (154) respondents from the surveyed community by adopting the questionnaire, which included (45) paragraphs, and providing it with personal interviews and field observations as tools to help in strengthening it. The research adopted the program (Amos V.25, SPSS v25) with the adoption of descriptive and inferential statistics methods (normal distribution test, confirmatory factor analysis, building models of variables, arithmetic mean, percentages, standard deviation, relative importance, coefficient of variation, Pearson correlation coefficient, simple regression coefficient, path analysis, Sobel test) to test its hypotheses. As for the most prominent results of the research, it was represented by the presence of a clear positive effect of the exchange (leader-member) in the psychological capital through the presence of supportive and supportive leadership for human resources and for excellence and creativity that is provided by human resources, and therefore this support has contributed positively to achieving good levels of Selfefficacy, confidence and flexibility in performance among the research sample.

Does Environmental Management Accounting Matter in Promoting Sustainable Development? A study in Iraq

Purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which Iraqi industrial companies are aware of the concept of environmental management accounting (EMA), to examine the role of EMA in providing information that might influence decisions related to environmental protection and preservation of natural resources to contribute to the development of sustainable development. A sample of Iraqi industrial firms was surveyed by distributing a questionnaire to a random sample of the research community in the context of Iraqi firms. In addition, it also considers the social dimensions of sustainable development and the economy. The resolution data were analyzed using a statistical program (SPSS). When analyzing the data, the findings of the current study indicate that Iraqi industrial companies have an awareness of environmental management accounting concepts. In addition it provides information that contributes to the promotion of sustainable development. This study recommends the need to implement environmental management accounting (EMA) in Iraqi industrial companies because of its important role in providing information that leads to the reduction of negative environmental impacts resulting from the practice of its activities.

Anxiety disorders among adolescents and young adults: Prevalence and mental health care service utilization in a regional epidemiological study in Germany

BackgroundAnxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders. While it is known that a majority of individuals with anxiety disorders remains untreated, actual treatment rates for adolescents and young adults in Germany remain largely unknown. MethodsAs part of the Behavior and Mind Health (BeMIND) study, examining a random community sample of 14–21-year-olds (Dresden; Germany; N = 1,180), the lifetime prevalence for DSM-5 anxiety disorders and lifetime service utilization rates were determined by a standardized interview (DIA-X-5/CIDI). ResultsIn the present sample, 23.3 % of adolescents and young adults fulfilled DSM-5 criteria for at least one lifetime anxiety disorder. Of those, 39.1 % used any health care services, most frequently they visited an outpatient psychotherapist/psychologist (23.0 %). Individuals with agoraphobia were most likely to use any in- or outpatient specialized service (64.8 %), while individuals with a specific phobia were least likely (22.3 %). Having a comorbid disorder or being female increased the likelihood of seeking help. ConclusionThe results showed that approximately 2/3 of adolescents and young adults suffering from an anxiety disorder did not seek help and only few report contacts with a psychotherapist. Given the adverse long-term consequences of anxiety disorders, these findings suggest to improve efforts on increasing intervention awareness and treatment possibilities for these individuals.

Neutrophils, eosinophils, and intraepithelial lymphocytes in the squamous esophagus in subjects with and without gastroesophageal reflux symptoms

Whilst intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) are considered normal within the distal esophageal mucosa, they have an increasingly recognised role in the pathogenesis of reflux esophagitis, and IEL quantification establishes the diagnosis of lymphocytic esophagitis. Knowledge regarding the upper limit of a normal IEL count in health is lacking. We studied 117 non-healthcare seeking adult volunteers from a random community sample (the Kalixanda study) with esophageal biopsies 2 cm above the gastroesophageal junction. Subjects were divided into four groups based on the presence or absence of gastro-esophageal reflux symptoms and/or esophagitis on endoscopy. Asymptomatic subjects with no endoscopic esophagitis were selected as controls, and the cell counts in this group were used to define the upper limit of normal of IELs, eosinophils and neutrophils. The entire sample was used to identify independent predictors of increased cellular counts by logistic regression analysis. None of the healthy controls had an IEL count of more than three per five high power fields (HPF), and therefore this was considered as the upper limit of normal; no controls had eosinophils or neutrophils in esophageal biopsies. Independent predictors of an elevated IEL count were spongiosis on histology (OR 11.17, 95% CI 3.32-37.58, P < 0.01) and current smoking (OR 4.84, 95% CI 1.13-2.71, P = 0.03). A receiver operating characteristics analysis concluded that a threshold of 3 IELs/5HPFs performs best in predicting reflux symptoms when a normal esophageal mucosa is visualized on endoscopy (sensitivity = 100.0%, specificity = 35.2%). The healthy esophageal mucosa does not contain more than three IELs per five HPF in the distal esophagus.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among 3-4 year olds in an urban sample in Bangladesh.

Preschool period is the most important stage of life when major development occurs that lays the foundation of later life. Nearly similar ranges of psychiatric disorders start during preschool age and they continue to childhood and adolescence. Early intervention can reduce risks of adverse psychosocial outcome and longitudinal continuity of disorders. Detailed assessment of psychiatric disorders among this population is increasingly of high importance. Present study was aimed to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among 3-4 year olds and to find out possible baseline correlates. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study carried out from March to May 2018 in 160 random urban community samples of Dhaka city. Of these, 86 were boys and 74 were girls. Household Questionnaire and validated parent version of Bangla Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for screening psychopathology had been applied to the consented parents or caregivers of the respondents. Mean age of the subjects was 3.63 ± 0.49 years. Overall, predictive prevalence of psychiatric disorder was 11.9 %. Among them, 4.4 % was emotional disorder, 5.6 % was conduct disorder and 1.9 % was hyperactivity. Prevalence of predictive psychiatric disorders was roughly similar in 3 and 4 years age. Girls had an excess of emotional disorder and boys had more behavioral disorder. Comorbidity was found at a higher rate with significant overlapping among the broad types of psychiatric disorders. This study supports the other findings of psychiatric disorders among the preschool children that would ultimately help in applying suitable screening procedures and subsequent management of psychiatric conditions.

Difficulty in learning mathematics for primary school students

The current research aimed at uncovering the most important difficulties faced by teachers (Males and Females) of teaching mathematics subject for primary school students in the Mosul city, as well as identifying the impact of the gender variable in facing these difficulties. The current research identifies the teachers ( Males and Females) of the primary stage of the Mosul city for the academic year 2018-2019, Where a random sample of the research community was taken by 2% of the original community. ( Fathi Mustafa El Zayat, 2008, 20 ) scale was adopted. Consisting of 20 paragraphs, with five alternatives, The validity and reliability of the research tool applied to the study sample was extracted. The application took three weeks. After the data were collected, they were statistically analyzed using percentage weight as well as the test to detect the differences between the percentages, The results showed that the teachers ( Males and Females ) of mathematics suffer from a number of difficulties that hinder their work and is the lack of desire and enthusiasm to learn the article as well as teachers ( Males and Females ) suffer from the density of students in one classroom and the lack of educational courses for teachers (Males and Females), Teachers ( Males and Females ) of mathematics also suffer from lack of experience in modern teaching methods, which makes them focus on the theoretical side and neglect the practical side, Based on these results, the researcher presented a number of recommendations at the end of the research .

Exploring Community Differences in Tornado Warning Reception, Comprehension, and Response across the United States

AbstractEffective risk communication in the weather enterprise requires deep knowledge about the communities that enterprise members serve. This includes knowledge of the atmospheric and climate conditions in these communities as well as knowledge about the characteristics of the people living in these communities. Enterprise members often have access to data that facilitate the first type of knowledge, but relatively little social or behavioral data on the populations they serve. This article introduces an effort to overcome these challenges by developing a database of community statistics and an interactive platform that provides dynamic access to the database. Specific emphasis is given to one set of statistics in the community database: estimates of tornado warning reception, comprehension, and response by county warning area in the contiguous United States. Exploration of these estimates indicates significant variation in reception and comprehension across communities. This variation broadly aligns with tornado climatology, but there are noticeable differences within climatologically comparable regions that underline the importance of community-specific information. Verification of the estimates using independent observations from a random sample of communities confirms that the estimates are largely accurate, but there are a few consistent anomalies that prompt questions about why some communities exhibit higher or lower levels of reception, comprehension, and response than models suggest. The article concludes with a discussion of next steps and an invitation to use and contribute to the project as it progresses.

Health-related quality of life among Jewish older persons in Mexico and its determinants

PurposeAging research in Mexico has significantly increased in the past decades, however, little is known on health related quality of life (HRQoL) of older adults. The aim of this study was to expand this field by examining HRQL in a representative sample of Jewish older adults in Mexico, and to investigate its association with different factors.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of community dwelling Jewish men and women aged 60 years and older. HRQoL was measured using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Bivariate analysis was performed to estimate the association of scores of HRQoL and different characteristics of the study sample and multiple linear regression models were estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS), to explore determinant factors associated to HRQoL in this sample, for the eight domains of the SF-36 sub-scales separately.ResultsTwo hundred ninety-five older persons were interviewed. Mean age was 72.7 years (SD 7.9), men made up 57% of the sample, 67% were married and 52% reported living with another person, mostly the spouse. Higher HRQoL was associated with higher educational attainment, being married, and having higher social support, while lower HRQoL was associated with being widowed, in worse financial situation, having chronic diseases and being in the oldest age groups.ConclusionsFindings show that gender, socioeconomic level, educational attainment, marital status as well as social support & community participation are relevant factors influencing HRQoL in our study sample. With respect to the SF-36 subscales, HRQoL of Jewish older adults in Mexico present higher scores than that of adults and older adults previously found in other studies in Mexico. Further studies comparing other characteristics among them could help bring further understanding of these differentiated ageing processes.

Prevalence, Onset, and Course of Suicidal Behavior Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Germany

Suicidal behavior is a leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. In light of the ideation-to-action framework, the delineation of frequency and temporal characteristics of such behavior during this developmental period is crucial. To provide lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of suicidal behavior, including ideation, plan, and attempt, in adolescents and young adults of the general population, and to provide information about age at onset, temporal characteristics of suicidal behavior, including duration (number of years between onset and last occurrence) and frequency (number of episodes), and transition patterns across suicidal behaviors. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in a random community sample of 1180 adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 21 years assessed in 2015 to 2016 in Dresden, Germany. Data analysis was performed from October 2018 to March 2019. Lifetime and 12-month suicidal behavior (ideation, plan, and attempt) were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview) by trained clinical interviewers. The onset, frequency, and duration of suicidal behavior were assessed by questionnaire. Of the 1180 participants (495 male [weighted percentage, 51.7%]; mean [SD] age, 17.9 [2.3] years), 130 participants (10.7%; 95% CI, 9.0%-12.8%), 65 participants (5.0%; 95% CI, 3.9%-6.5%), and 41 participants (3.4%; 95% CI, 2.4%-4.7%) reported lifetime suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt, respectively. Any lifetime suicidal behavior was reported by 138 participants (11.5%; 95% CI, 9.7%-13.7%). Age-specific cumulative incidence estimates indicated an increase in suicidal behavior during adolescence, starting at age 10 years (<1%), increasing slightly until the age of 12 years (2.2%), and then increasing sharply thereafter until age 20 years (13.5%). There were different patterns among female and male participants for ideation, plan, and attempt, with an overall higher incidence among female participants for ideation (hazard ratio, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.02-2.22; P = .04), for plan (hazard ratio, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.72-6.36; P < .001), and, among those older than 14 years, for attempt (hazard ratio, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.11-8.49; P = .03). Of those with suicidal ideation, 66.0% reported persistent or recurrent ideation over more than 1 year with 75.0% reporting more than 1 episode. Of the participants with lifetime suicidal ideation, 47.0% reported a suicide plan and 23.9% reported a suicide attempt. The transition to suicide plan or attempt occurred mainly in the year of onset of suicidal ideation or plan; of those who transitioned, 74.9% transitioned from ideation to plan, 71.2% transitioned from ideation to attempt, and 85.4% transitioned from plan to attempt in the same year. There is an urgent public health need for timely identification of suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults to terminate persistent or recurrent suicidal tendencies and to interrupt the ideation-to-action transition.

Suggested Designs for Intermediate Students Uniform of the General Education Schools in Saudi Arabia (Makkah-Arar)

of the research is to develop proposed designs for uniform uniforms on scientific bases to provide functional and aesthetic efficiency in accordance with the Kingdom's regulations and environment in accordance with the requirements of early physical and psychological adolescence.Methodology: The study described the current school uniform, the proposed uniforms, their qualifications and the problems faced by the students of this stage, as well as the field and applied studies. The sample consisted of a random sample of the school community. Students were identified as: intermediate students (200) (30), parents (30), and specialized arbitrators (10) in the cities of Makkah and Arar.The tools included: identification of an electronic survey, identification of the assessment of the proposed design for the specialists, identification of the evaluation of the proposed design for the teachers and parents, identification of the evaluation of the proposed designs for the students.The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the six designs according to the opinions of all the members of the research sample where it was found that the value of (P) was (50.854) which is a statistical value at level (0.01), and that the third design was the best designs according to For the opinions of all members of the research sample, then the first design, then the fifth design, then the fourth design, then the sixth design, and finally the second design.Recommendations: the establishment of a standard scale for Saudi girls for the early and late stages of adolescence, and the need to establish a factory for the production of uniform uniforms for the three stages of education in the Kingdom, which includes production lines in line with the standards of Saudi girls in addition to a customized unit for special cases under the supervision of the Ministry of Education Education, and recommends the implementation of a uniform dress policy on sports activities for male and female students.

Psychological Pollution of Baghdad University Students and Its Relation with Social Compatibility

Find goal 1. psychological study of pollution at Baghdad University Students 2. Measuring the differences in psychological pollution variable depending on the sex and specialization 3. social harmony measure at Baghdad University Students 4. Tradition measure pollution between psychological and social compatibility Was selected a random sample of the research community, the researcher prepare a tool to measure the psychological pollution and adopted the dry Scale (2010) to measure social consensus, and after analyzing the data statistically significant results showed that college students suffer from psychological pollution and have no social consensus and these results showed researcher set of recommendations and propos

The Inter-ministerial National Structural Intervention trial (INSTRUCT): protocol for a parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial of a structural intervention to reduce HIV infection among young women in Botswana

BackgroundWide recognition that structural factors are important in the HIV epidemic has not generated much evidence of impact of structural interventions. Few randomised controlled trials of structural interventions for HIV prevention have an HIV endpoint, and most of those did not show a significant impact. It has proved difficult to prevent new HIV infections in Botswana, especially among young women, many of whom are unable to act on HIV preventive choices. Proposed by a government think tank in Botswana, the Inter-ministerial National Structural Intervention trial (INSTRUCT) tests whether addressing social and economic factors, including gender inequality, gender violence, poverty, and poor access to education, can lower HIV infection rates among young women. Focussed on increasing access by marginalised young women to government support programs, the intervention seeks to change their structural position, reducing their vulnerability to transactional sex, and thus to HIV infection.MethodsThis parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial compares HIV rates among young women in districts with and without the structural interventions. The 30 administrative districts in the country, stratified by HIV prevalence and development status, will be randomly assigned to 5-district implementation waves. The intervention in the first-wave districts will include: (i) recruiting and preparing vulnerable young women to apply to government support programs, (ii) making the support programs more accessible to young women by engaging local program officers and young women in co-evaluation of programs and co-design of solutions; and (iii) generating an enabling environment for change in communities through an audio-drama edutainment program. In year five, an impact survey will measure HIV rates among vulnerable young women (15–29 years) in a random sample of communities in the five intervention districts and in the five second-wave (control) districts. Fieldworkers will undertake rapid HIV screening and interview young women and young men, collecting information on secondary outcomes of attitudes and behaviours.DiscussionThis is the first step in a planned stepped-wedge design that will roll out the intervention, modified as necessary, to all districts. Strong government commitment provides an important opportunity to reduce new HIV cases in Botswana, and guide prevention efforts in other countries.Trial registrationRegistration number: ISRCTN 54878784. Registry: ISRCTN. Date of registration: 11 June 2013.

Reconsidering the autohypnotic model of the dissociative disorders

ABSTRACTThe dissociative disorders field and the hypnosis field currently reject the autohypnotic model of the dissociative disorders, largely because many correlational studies have shown hypnotizability and dissociation to be minimally related (r = .12). Curiously, it is also widely accepted that dissociative patients are highly hypnotizable. If dissociative patients are highly hypnotizable because only highly hypnotizable individuals can develop a dissociative disorder – as the author proposes – then the methodology of correlational studies of hypnotizability and dissociation in random clinical and community samples would necessarily be constitutively unable to detect, and statistically unable to reflect, that fact. That is, the autohypnotic, dissociative distancing of that small subset of highly hypnotizable individuals who repeatedly encountered intolerable circumstances is statistically lost among the data of (1) the highly hypnotizable subjects who do not dissociate and (2) subjects (of all levels of hypnotizability) who manifest other kinds of dissociation. The author proposes that, when highly hypnotizable individuals repeatedly engage in autohypnotic distancing from intolerable circumstances, they develop an overlearned, highly-motivated, automatized pattern of dissociative self-protection (i.e., a dissociative disorder). The author urges that theorists of hypnosis and the dissociative disorders explicitly include in their theories (a) the trait of high hypnotizability, (b) the phenomena of autohypnosis, and (c) the manifestations of systematized, autohypnotic pathology. Said differently, the author is suggesting that autohypnosis and autohypnotic pathology are unacknowledged nodes in the nomothetic networks of both hypnosis and dissociation.

Community sample evidence on the relations among behavioural inhibition system, anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and social anxiety in adolescents

Social anxiety in adolescence can have severe consequences including underachievement and school drop-out, psychopathology, and substance use disorders. The development of social anxiety in adolescents is a complex and poorly understood process. Temperamental predispositions such as behavioural inhibition are significant risk factors but the specific path leading from behavioural inhibition to social anxiety remains unclear. One potential pathway is that temperament leads to social anxiety through learned self-regulation strategies and cognitive predispositions, a hypothesis that has not yet been investigated in adolescents. In an attempt to investigate further this idea, we ran parallel multiple mediation analysis to examine whether greater behavioural inhibition system sensitivity is linked to higher social anxiety via greater anxiety sensitivity and experiential avoidance levels in a random community sample of high-school adolescents (N= 718). The results confirmed our hypotheses. Independently of gender and after controlling for anxiety psychopathology and depression levels, greater behavioural inhibition system sensitivity was associated with more severe social anxiety in adolescents both directly and indirectly through greater experiential avoidance and more severe anxiety sensitivity. Given the fact that social anxiety is a serious cause of academic and social impairment in adolescence, the present findings suggest malleable risk factors that can be effectively addressed in targeted prevention and treatment interventions. Results are discussed in light of previous relevant findings and in relation to relevant theoretical and methodological issues and clinical implications.